


I'm Not a Hero

by ExcessCougar96



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF, X-Ray & Vav (Cartoon)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-14 22:52:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3428498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExcessCougar96/pseuds/ExcessCougar96
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'He was basically cursed with what had been done to him. Cursed to rely on medication in order to appear normal, cursed to lose everything he had ever held dear. And even cursed to live life in fear of hurting those he lets close. So no matter what his heart was telling him, he absolutely refused to let himself fall for the superhero Vav.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Name is Mogar

Down on the streets of the city, X-Ray and Vav were fighting the Mad King and his goons. Across the street and crouching on the rooftop was a shadowed figure.

“Dumbasses. All of them.” The figure growled, baring fangs.

Hazel eyes and half of his face was covered by a black mask and a bear hoodie was covering red-brown hair as he glared down at the heroes. He scoffed and took off across the roofs, a black backpack thumping against his shoulders. A dark grey gauntlet started just over his knuckles up his arm to his elbows on his right arm.

When he got to his destination he smirked. He stood on a roof directly across from the city’s museum. He slipped on a thick black bracelet over the gauntlet adorning his right arm and clicked a button on the top. A grappling hook popped out and shot over to the museum.

Fangs were bared in a grin as the figure ran towards the edge of the building and jumped off, swinging towards the roof of the museum. He landed in a crouched position and detached his hook.

“This is going to be great.” He said as he broke the lock and turned off the alarm before it could go off. “Those moronic heroes, why are all the heroes and villains in the city so fucking dumb. They don’t even wear masks.” He growled as he fixed the security cameras on a loop and walked forward to the exhibit he was after.

A large, double-edged black diamond sword was displayed inside a glass case. A sly grin formed on his face and a fang poked out as he moved towards it.

“Hello beautiful.” He stated before taking out a rectangular device and sticking it to the case and pressing a button.

Four claws came out and started to cut the glass case. Two minutes later the thief was leaving with the sword attached to his back. Sitting where the sword had been was a note that said, ‘ _It’s Mogar bitches!_ ’

As he jumped back towards his safe house, the thief named Mogar laughed loudly. When he arrived at his safe house he put away his bag and took off his thief clothes and slipped on a Legend of Zelda t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

He set the black diamond sword in the weapon cache hidden in his dresser and hissed as he pulled off the gauntlet on his arm. As he pulled it off, five spikes retracted and blood trickled from the wounds. Mogar wrapped up his arm and grabbed a bottle of pills from his bedside before popping two in his mouth.

He grimaced then sighed as the pressure building on his skin vanished and his eyes stopped glowing. He then slid under the covers in his bed and fell into a fitful sleep. Full of nightmares of his past and the torment he had to go through.

 

* * *

 

The next day the news reported that X-Ray and Vav were able to defeat the Mad King but failed to catch the person who robbed the museum. The only thing stolen was an ancient sword made of black diamond. The thief left a note with his name, Mogar.

X-Ray and Vav were in thief civilian clothes as they walked down the streets talking. Vav swept his arms out in a wide gesture and whapped someone in the shoulder.

“My apologies.” He said and looked at the person he had hit.

Hazel eyes glared angrily at him from behind glasses. “You’re a fucking moron. Watch were you swing your arms next time.” The man growled.

In practical Vav, the hero ignored the anger and smiled at the citizen, “Your freckles are so cute.” He said with a grin.

The guy raised an eyebrow and took a step back, blushing slightly. “Thanks…. I guess. And you’re an idiot.” He stated.

“How are we idiots?” X-Ray demanded.

“One, you don’t have aliases which means that any of the guys you fight can find your loved ones, two, you don’t wear masks.” He said.

“So what would you suggest?” Vav asked curiously, leaning forward.

“Go to the mayor or your friend… Hilda was it? Ask them for their help creating aliases and get some masks.” He suggested, inwardly smirking.

“X-Ray! We should do what he says. Think of your mum!” Vav stated and X-Ray narrowed dark eyes on the civilian.

“What’s your name anyway?” He asked.

“Michael Jones. I fix things.” He stated, flashing a closed grin.

It was then that they really got a good look at the man. He looked to be at least a year older than Vav and had curly red-brown hair. Hazel eyes gleamed proudly from behind square rimmed glassed.

“I’m X-Ray and this is Vav, but I guess you knew that already…. Vav are you ok?” X-Ray asked and the two looked over at the Brit.

Vav nodded, though there was a red coloring his cheeks as he looked at the slightly older man. Michael may have been wearing a hoodie but Vav could tell that he was strong and fit. Vav flushed more as he thought of it before looking away slightly.

Michael noticed this and his eyes widened slightly from behind his glasses, ‘ _What the fuck? D-did Vav just check me out?_ ’ He shook his head and decided he needed to leave right then.

He made a show of looking at his watch and looking up at them, “I have an appointment with a customer in a few minutes and I need to get there. It was sort of nice to meet the two of you. Maybe we will run into each other again.” He said before he walked past them.

Both heroes looked after him and a grin spread over Michael’s face as a shadow covered his eyes and canines showed. ‘ _And **that** is why you wear a mask, fuckers._ ’ He though darkly.

* * *

 

That night Mogar was on the prowl again. He ducked into shadows and pick pocketed random civvies, disappearing before they could see him. The sword he had stolen the night before gleamed on his back.

He climbed to the top of the building and set out his score before him with a grin.

“Halt villain!” He groaned softly when he looked up to see X-Ray and Vav.

He sunk back into the shadows slightly and pressed a button on his gauntlet. A needle pulled out of his skin and immediately his eyes started glowing yellow.

“Why are your eyes glowing like that?” X-Ray asked.

“Unlike the two of you, I actually have powers. I wasn’t born with them, I wasn’t even given them freely. I was experimented on and they made me what I am. I wear shackles to keep them down.” Mogar growled, his voice deepened and canines longer.

“Why are you using your powers for bad deeds then?” Vav asked, confused.

Mogar threw his head back and laughed, “Cause I hate following the fucking rules dumbass.” He said as he packed the stolen goods in his black bag.

They saw the sword on his back and put two and two together. “You’re Mogar.” X-Ray said.

“No shit Sherlock. Who the hell did you think I was? Now are you going to fight me, or talk all night? Cause I got places to be.” Mogar stated as he stood up with the backpack on and drew the sword.

The black diamond gleamed viciously. Mogar held his empty hand up in a ‘Come at me’ position with a vicious grin on his face. Both heroes looked at each other before turning towards Mogar and charging.

Mogar deflected the lazer from X-Ray and dodged Vav’s slow-mo beams before grinning, “My turn!” He shouted before rushing at them and hitting them with the flat of the blade. He sped behind X-Ray and swung at his head with a gauntleted fist.

X-Ray caught the fist on the side of the temple and went down. Mogar then looked at the Brit. “Let’s dance pretty-boy.” He said as he rushed towards the younger man.

Vav squawked and threw out his hands, hoping to slow mo Mogar. Instead of slow-mo, Mogar tripped on a ladder lying on the roof and tumbled towards the Brit. Vav looked up just in time to meet eyes that were no longer glowing right before Mogar’s lips collided with his own.

Both of their eyes widened as they kissed. It seemed like forever before Mogar jumped back in shock. He and Vav starred at each other for a few seconds before Mogar looked away and fled the scene, the memory of the kiss burned into his mind.

Vav breathed out in shock as he touched his lips. “Wot just happened?” He asked, eyes wide and confused.

X-Ray groaned and sat up, clutching his head. He looked over at Vav and saw the perplexed look on the Brit’s face and moved towards him in concern.

“Vav? You ok? Did that bastard do anything to you?” He demanded, shaking his friend.

“Uh…. No. He knocked you out and ran away.” Vav stated, wanting to keep the kiss a secret from X-Ray for as long as possible. At least until he figured out what these feelings he had inside meant.

* * *

 

**_Crack!!!_ **

Blood trickled down Michael’s fist as he pulled it from the wall in his apartment. He growled and ripped the gauntlet off and slammed it onto the counter. More blood ran down his arm as his furiously wrapped it with gauze.

He swallowed his normal two pills dry and sat on the edge of his bed with his hands in his hair.

“This is not happening. I refuse.” He muttered as he stood from his bed and moved through the room. He moved to the bathroom and starred into his own hazel eyes, but all he could see were Vav’s green eyes.

Michael grit his teeth and gripped the counter tightly, until he heard a crack and loosened his grip. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“It’ll pass Michael. It always does.” He muttered. He hated this feeling. A feeling that always disappeared as quick as it came. A painful feeling that eats away at his heart and makes him want to care about someone.

But someone like Michael, someone that has gone through Hell in his short life, a feeling like this had to come with trust. And his trust had been broken too many times in the past. By the scientists, by friends, and even by his own blood.

He was basically cursed with what had been done to him. Cursed to rely on medication in order to appear normal, cursed to lose everything he had ever held dear. And even cursed to live life in fear of hurting those he lets close. So no matter what his heart was telling him, he absolutely refused to let himself fall for the superhero Vav.


	2. Gavin Free and Ray Narvaez Jr, Enter Stage Right

The next day Michael opened up his calendar and checked what jobs he had to do today. He pulled the bandages off his arm, the wounds from the night before healed and no scars were present He moved through his morning routine before heading back to his bathroom.

He looked at himself in the mirror again, before frowning and running a hand through thick curls. His phone buzzed and he picked it up.

_Unknown: They are meeting tonight. HW Airlines main business office. 9:30._

He scowled at the message and quickly deleted it. If he had to be honest, the messages from the unknown number had been very helpful. The first one he had received had told him to come here. The second one suggested stealing the sword while it was on display in the museum.

Against all of his knowledge and trust issues, something told Michael to trust the messages. He made a quick mental note of the time and location before pulling on his black hoodie. He grabbed his beanie before leaving his apartment and driving to the location of his first job of the day.

He parked his car in front of the court house and grabbed his tool bag. He slung said bag over his shoulder as he locked his car and started up the steps of the white building. Michael looked around the inside and couldn’t help but mark a few things that caught his interest.

He’s a thief, that’s what he does. He stopped at the secretary desk and set his tool bag down, “My name is Michael Jones, the Mayor called me in to look at some electrical problems in his office.”

“Jones, Jones, ah here you are. The Mayor has some visitors before you but I don’t think he will mind if you go in.” The man said with a polite smile.

“Thank you.” Michael said, holding out a hand. The secretary shook his hand and Michael moved into the hallway towards the Mayor’s office, slyly pocketing the man’s watch and wallet. He might not have his mask on at the moment, but that wasn’t going to stop his sticky fingers.

He knocked on the door before opening it and walking in. “Hey Mayor, I’m here to fix the electrical problem you have.” He said before looking up and freezing slightly.

Standing in front of the Mayor and talking to him were four very familiar people. Considering the four were well known in the city as its saviors, it made Michael very worried why they would all be here when he was called here.

Was he burned? Did they find out he was Mogar. He schooled his face to relax, just in case they were there for something themselves.

“Oh! Mr. Jones! I’m so glad you are here, maybe now the problem will be fixed.” The Mayor said with a happy voice.

“You know me Mayor, I fix things. So what do you need?” He asked politely, glancing at the super heroes and their friends out of the corner of his eyes. He pushed his glasses up and set his bag down. “Aren’t you busy though?” He asked looking directly at the four.

The Mayor jumped, “Oh yes, ah. I, guess I can permit you to change the records.”

“You’re just going to tell this guy what we were doing?” Hilda demanded.

“It’s alright Ms. Hilda. Michael actually gave us the idea to make identities.” Vav stated, trying to keep the peace.

“Yeah, I did. Glad to see you are actually taking my advice. Also, I’ve lived in this city since right after you defeated the CoPirate, and never saw you until yesterday. What the actual fuck? Are you stalking me?” He asked, a smirk edging onto his mouth as the Brit squawked and waved his arms.

“Wot!? No, Micool!” He said loudly.

“What the fuck?! My name is Michael. Mi-chael, not Mi-cool! Dumbass, get it right!” Michael shouted at the brunette.

Hilda, Rusty and X-Ray watched as Michael tackled Vav to the ground and grappled him into a headlock.

“Should we stop them?” X-Ray asked, pointing at the two, at this time Michael was sitting on Vav’s back with a smirk as Vav struggled to get away.

Hilda was interrupted with what she was about to say when Michael yelled at Vav, “Say it with me Mi-chael!” She rolled her eyes at the two while Rusty answered X-Ray’s question.

“Nah, let the boys play.” Rusty told him as he crossed his arms and grinned.

“Boys! You’re both pretty but would you both STOP!” Hilda yelled as ORF hovered around her.

Michael glanced at her and scowled before standing up and picking Vav up by the collar and setting him down. Vav pouted as Michael folded his arms and looked away from the Brit. The Brit himself was blushing slightly.

“So, you guys came to create your non-hero identities?” Michael asked as he started working, ignoring the looks Vav was giving him.

“Yeah. X-Ray and Vav are now Ray and Gavin. We figured that names that were close to their super hero names would help them remember them.” Rusty said.

Michael paused as he worked and raised an eyebrow, “Really? You picked Gavin? Wow, original.” He stated rolling his eyes.

“Wot? Wot’s wrong with the name Gavin? I like it!” Vav, or Gavin, said happily.

“You would dumbass.” Michael stated. He then stood up and put his tools away. “Okay, I’m done Mayor. If it gives you any problems, give me a call and I’ll come fix it.”

He started towards the door and looked back at the four, “Nice meeting you guys, but I do have other things to do than stand around and talk all day.” He waved and left.

It was then that they all noticed all the stress in the room disappear. But Gavin was left remembering being tackled to the ground by the older man and actually being able to feel the muscles he had seen the day before on the street.

He felt his cheeks warm as that thought crossed his mind, but he quickly shook his head and went back to talking to the others.

* * *

 

The sun was setting as Michael sat at his kitchen counter. Spread out in front of him was all of his equipment. His gauntlet was already on his arm and he was already wearing his dark brown bear hoodie and black jeans. Dark grey boots went past his ankle and were tied tightly.

He picked up his grapple hook and clicked it into place on his gauntlet before grabbing one of his new attachments. It was a taser that left no marks on the target and was best used when close to the victim. He snapped it into its own slot before standing from his seat.

He picked up his mask and placed it on his face and grabbed his bag. He sighed and left through the window, running across roofs and heading towards the text location quickly. Mogar skidded to a stop on top of the building and looked over the ledge at the black vans pulling in and watching as the city’s worst criminals entered the building.

He growled low in his throat and ducked away from the edge when a man looked up. Blue eyes narrowed on the roof before the man walked into the building. Mogar walked over to the ventilation system and grinned.

“Time to fuck around with the ‘big guns’. “ He said, sliding into the vents.

He made his way through the system and came across an empty room. He carefully pried the cover off and jumped out, landing in a crouch. He replaced the cover and ducked into the shadowed corner. The lights flickered on and Mogar ducked low and melded into the shadows.

He watched in silence as the cities two biggest threats walked into the room. Mogar’s eyes widened as he watched The Mad King and the CoPirate sit down across from each other. Each villain had a group of goons spread out in the room, protecting their bosses.

“So. It seems we have a newcomer in town. He seems to have a reputation in other cities. They call him Mogar, The Master Thief.” The Mad King started.

Mogar held in a snort, he had no clue where that had started, but he wasn’t the Master Thief, that would be his teacher. Mogar shivered slightly remembering the man that taught him everything, and occasionally stopped by to check up on him.

Trust me, Burnie Burns was a teacher from hell. If you didn’t get what he was teaching you the first time, he made you ran through the whole course again until you could do it in your sleep. It was also Burnie that beat the meaning of masks into his head.

“Aye, he be taking the spoils while leaving us to fight X-Ray and Vav.” The CoPirate said.

“Drop the accent Geoff. This is a friendly meeting between two friends, who also happen to occasionally hate each other.” The Mad King said with a smirk.

“Whatever. God, using that accent is a pain in the ass. Who even came up with the idea for me to do that?” Geoff asked as he dropped the act.

“I blame Jack. He came with the ‘CoPirate’ persona in the first place.” The Mad King stated.

“Yeah, but being a businessman is hard as dicks, how the hell do you even run Monarch Labs and Haywood Airlines, Ryan?” Geoff asked him.

“Very carefully.” Ryan said monotonously.

Mogar blinked in slight shock. They knew The Architect? That was the name that Jack Patillo had made for himself in the underground. He was called that because not only was he a great builder, but he could design near fool-proof plans.

“But enough about us, back to the little upstart encroaching on our territory. What are we going to do about him?” Ryan asked, locking his fingers together in front of him.

“There’s not much we can do about him. I got a report from one of my minions that he was able to defeat X-Ray and Vav. We can’t even do that.” Geoff pointed out.

“So if we can’t drive him out, why not ask him to join us?” Ryan suggested.

It was then that Mogar decided to release a loud chuckle that echoed around the room. The goons jumped up and looked around for the source but the lights flicker and all but the one above the two popped.

“There’s just one little problem with that Mad King.” Mogar started as he pressed the button on his gauntlet and let his eyes glow yellow. “I don’t play well with other. I’m a fucking one man show.” He said, his eyes creating an eerie glow around himself.

Ryan’s eyes narrowed on his form and widened slightly at the sight of his eyes, “So that’s what happened.” He muttered and looked at Geoff, who was starring in shock at the young man.

“Oh, I’m sorry, was this a private party? I could have sworn you were talking about me.” Mogar stated as he emerged from the shadows. His eyes glowed brightly for a moment before dying of into hazel.

“What do you want us to do Boss?” One of Geoff’s minions asked.

Geoff put up a hand, “At ease. I want to see what the almighty Mogar plans to do now that he’s surrounded.” The mustached man said with a smirk.

Mogar bared fangs in a grin, “I can get out of here very easily. After all, I got in undetected and listened to all of your conversation without you catching me.” He stated.

“So you refuse to join us?” Ryan asked, narrowing his eyes again.

“I’m not much of a team player. Plus I don’t fucking trust any of you, why the fuck would I join you?” Mogar asked, palming a spherical device as the Mad King glared at him.

“Then you leave us no choice but to take you out.” He said as his minions raised their guns, Geoff’s following close behind.

“No thank you.” Mogar deadpanned as he slammed the ball down. Smoke erupted from the ball and filled the room, causing the two villains to cough. They could hear shouting form their goons and thumps from around the room.

When the smoke cleared, Mogar was gone and all of their subordinates were knocked out on the floor and relieved of their wallets.

Geoff looked at Ryan, “Well, if he can do that with multiple guns trained on him and still escape, I suggest leaving him the fuck alone. I’d rather not deal with a thief with a grudge.” He stated as he stood.

Ryan nodded, but his eyes stayed narrowed, ‘ _So that was the Jones kid. He’s a lot stronger and skilled than the reports said. I guess that comes with age._ ’ He thought as he walked away from the meeting again. ‘ _But just wait Mogar. The Mad King **always gets what he wants.**_ ’

* * *

 

In a different city a man sat at a desk, a cell phone in his hand. He smiled slightly and pressed send before looking up at the woman walking into his office.

“Did he make it in time?” She asked.

“Of course he did. He’s learned to trust my texts.” He replied with a smug grin.

The woman snorted, “I don’t think he _trusts_ anything. It’s more like you gained his curiosity.” She stated as she sat in a chair in front of him.

“Well then he better be careful. Because as the saying goes, ‘Curiosity killed the cat.’” He stated as he leaned back in the chair.

The woman sighed at the man and stood, “But sir, there is another half of that saying.” She started as she opened the door. The man looked up. “Curiosity may kill it, but satisfaction will bring it back. Have a good night sir.”

The man watched as the door closed, eyes glittering a vicious red. “Yes, good night.”


	3. A Medic and a Chance Meeting

Mogar slipped through the window of his apartment and stumbled into his bathroom. He clutched his left shoulder as blood seeped through his fingers.

“Shit, one got a shot off me after all.” He said, leaning against the wall. His breath was labored and his eyes flickered from hazel to yellow and back over and over again.

He grabbed his cell from his bag and dialed a number quickly. It rang for a few seconds before he heard a click.

“Hello, this is Caleb, how can I help you?” A cheery voice said from the other end.

“Hey Caleb. I need your help. You think you can get Kdin to zap you over here?” He asked as he grit his teeth in pain. He could feel the wound trying to heal with the bullet still inside.

“Michael? What happened? Are you ok?” Caleb asked, sounding worried.

Mogar pulled off his mask and chuckled darkly, “Caleb, I’m about to Rage Quit. Get your ass over here.” He growled.

Caleb breathed in quickly and Michael could hear him running around his apartment. ‘Rage Quit’ was a code phrase that meant Michael was about to lose control while in pain. The last time he had Rage Quitted, he had nearly killed someone. He would rather stop it in it before it happened.

Michael heard a liquid sound and turned his head to see Caleb appear in a mass of purple and black bubbles. Caleb took one look at him and quickly moved him to the kitchen in order to start healing the younger man.

Caleb wore his typical white shirt and grey pants with a red cross stitched on the back pocket. He also wore a white ball cap with a red cross. He set Michael down on a chair by the counter and pushed up his sleeve.

“I see the gauntlet is working for you.” Caleb stated as he placed his hand over the bullet hole.

Michael looked down at the device covering most of his right arm and snorted, “Yeah, hurts like a bitch, but it helps. How’re the others?” He asked, wincing as Caleb drew out the bullet.

“They’re fine. Kdin works as a professional transporter, you need something or someone somewhere he’s your man. Jeremy and Matt build and test the security of highly ranked individuals, before stealing everything from them. And Kerry, well he’s Kerry, what more can you expect?” He said with a smile, “What about you? How are you doing?”

Michael watched as Caleb’s hand glowed white, “I’ve been good. I went with Burnie and learned to be a thief. You ever heard of a guy called Mogar?” He asked with a smirk.

Caleb laughed as he placed his glowing hand on Michael’s wound, “Kdin owes me 50 bucks now. I told him you were Mogar. So how did you get shot?” He asked, focusing his attention on the quickly healing wound.

“I casually introduced myself to the reigning criminals of the city.” Michael said with a smug grin.

“Meaning you went in a beat the shit out of them while telling them that if they leave you alone, you’ll leave them alone. Classic Michael.” He brought his hand away and wiped off the blood, “Alright, I healed the damage, but the muscles will be sore for a few days. Any strenuous activity will likely tear it back open.”

Michael raised an eyebrow at him, “I’ve seen you heal wounds worse than this and heal them completely. I call bull, why didn’t you heal it all the way?” He asked.

“You need a break. Spend some time going around the city as Michael instead of Mogar. Go see a movie, have some fun for fucks sake. Meet a nice girl, or guy if that’s what you prefer, do something entertaining that doesn’t involve stealing things.” Caleb said as he wrapped Michael’s arm.

Michael blinked as Gavin’s face flashed through his mind. He shook it away and blushed. Caleb finished with his arm and stood.

“Alright, you’re all patched up. Try to stay that way.” He sighed as he typed out a text, “You should stop by more than once a year, because the others miss you. Oh, and Jack said to warn you that he plans to upgrade your gauntlet when he gets here.” He said before vanishing as Kdin teleported him back.

Michael sighed and looked at the blood drops on the floor, “Yeah. I’ll do that.” He muttered as he started to clean up.

Caleb, Kdin, Jeremy, Matt and Kerry had all been experimented on like him. Each of them had their own set of unique abilities. But out of all of them, Michael and Kdin suffered the worse. While the scientists stopped experimenting on the other four, Michael and Kdin went through dozens of more tests and it finally ended when three men rescued them.

Burnie and Jack were two of those men, but the third Michael could never remember, their escape had been traumatic and he had forced the memory to the recessives of his mind. But they hadn’t been rescued soon enough, and both Michael and Kdin were forced to lock away most of their powers by wearing the devices Jack made, or taking the pills that suppressed them.

He groaned as he stood back up and threw the bloodied towels away. He went through his nightly routines before finally slipping into bed. He stretched his shoulder before closing his eyes and falling into a light sleep.

Unknown to him his phone buzzed again, lighting up with a message.

_Burnie Burns: Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I’m coming to visit you soon. Oh, and Kdin texted me, you got shot and didn’t call me? We have a lot to talk about dumbass. See you soon – Burnie (Church) Burns._

* * *

 

After they had saved the city from the CoPirate, X-Ray and Vav had been given their own apartment near City Hall. They accepted it with the condition that no one would know that they lived there.

Gavin opened his eyes as he rolled over in his bed. He groaned, remembering the dream he had just woke up from.

“Why can’t I get him out of my head?” He wondered out loud, ‘ _Think of someone else. Someone else._ ’ He thought before Michael’s face swam in front of his vision, “That doesn’t help!” He shouted, sitting up with a frown on his face.

Gavin couldn’t make head or tails of what he felt for the civilian, but he knew it was somewhere equal with what he felt for the thief, Mogar. That kiss that he and Mogar shared…. It lingered in his mind and he knew he couldn’t ask Ray.

The brunette sighed and quickly got dressed before heading towards the kitchen. Ray was awake and munching on some cereal.

“So what’s your thoughts on our new names?” Ray asked as Gavin sat down with a bowl of cereal.

“I think they’re top. I’m really glad that Michael told us to.” He stated as he quickly ate his cereal.

“Hmm, yeah, Michael. You’ve been talking about him a lot Gav, got something to tell good guy Ray?” Ray asked with a smirk on his face.

Gavin blushed, “Shut up.” He muttered before finishing his bowl and pouring the milk down the drain.

“I still can’t believe you waste the best part of cereal. You have to drink the milk Gavin.” The dark haired man stated as he demonstrated.

“I don’t like the little bits of cereal left in the bowl. They’re all soggy and gross.” The Brit tried to explain with a sour look on his face.

“Yeah whatever Gav. You ready for a day of hanging out with your best friend?” Ray asked with a smirk.

“You bet. What’s on the list first?” Gavin asked with a grin.

* * *

 

Michael rolled his arm as he walked, wincing as the muscles pulled. “Damn it Caleb. He even cut off my healing ability.” He cursed. He had found out about his healing when he woke up and the wounds caused by his gauntlet hadn’t healed overnight.

He was pissed that he had to waste another stretch of wraps for the day. The only thing that made it better was that it was cold outside, meaning he could wear a hoodie without anyone wondering.

He strolled past two men without looking. He immediately regretted it when someone latched onto his back. He froze and fought down a hiss of surprise.

“Micool! Look Ray, it’s Micool!” Michael’s eyes narrowed when he heard Gavin’s voice and he scowled.

“Let. Go.” He growled, eyebrow twitching. The two heroes were the last people Michael wanted to see right now.

“Awww. But you’re so cuddly boi.” Gavin said with a grin.

“Boi? What the fuck does that mean?” Michael asked as Gavin retracted himself from his hug.

“….It means we’re friends.” He said after a moment of pause. A grin stretched over his face.

“Really? And what are you wearing?” The older man asked, looking over both men.

Gavin was wearing a purple shirt that fit closely to his body and a pair of jeans. Ray was wearing a purple zip-up jacket and cargo shorts with a beanie over his hair. Considering they usually wore outfits that at least mirrored their hero clothes, this was a big change.

“This idiot got it in his head that we needed to change what we wore or changing our names would mean nothing because everyone would recognize us anyway.” He then looked hard at Michael, “It actually worked until you. How is it that you recognized us right off the bat?” He asked.

“I have sharp eyes under these glasses Ray. Plus, Gavin basically tackled me.” Michael said in a monotone voice while blankly staring at the Puerto Rican.

Ray looked at him suspiciously, “Ok.” He finally said before turning away, “Come on Gav, you can talk to your boi some other time.”

The way he said it made both Gavin and Michael blush slightly and look away from each other. “But, he looks so lonely. What are you doing right now Michael?” He asked.

“Uhhhhh, I was going to get some tacos. Then I have a meeting with a potential client. Why?” He asked, feeling a little apprehensive of the Brit.

“All by yourself? But wot about your friends?” The younger man asked.

“Don’t have any. Not really a people person.” He replied with a shrug.

Gavin turned to Ray with a pout, “We can’t just leave him alone!” He said.

Ray raised an eyebrow and looked at Michael, who was twitching again, “I had tacos yesterday Gav, so I really don’t want them today. But if you want we can meet up again after you finish.” He suggested, inwardly grinning at the twitch increase from the older man.

Gavin grinned and started to pull Michael along with him, not noticing the glare that was pointed at Ray. Ray just waved and smirked at the two. He turned to walk away and bumped into a larger person.

“Ouch, sorry about that dude.” He said before looking up into bright blue eyes framed by dirty blonde hair.

“That’s quite alright.” The person said in a deep voice. There was something about that voice that Ray recognized but he couldn’t quite place it. “It was actually my fault for standing behind you.”

“Naw, I should have been paying more attention.” Ray stated.

“Well, you could always make it up to me by joining me at the coffee shop.” He said.

Ray nodded, “I guess I could do that, I’m Ray by the way.” He said as he stuck out his hand.

The man took it, “Ryan, pleasure to meet you Ray.”


	4. A Couple of Visitors

Ryan looked at the younger man with a curious look. He knew Ray from somewhere but he couldn’t place it. He ‘hmmed’ in consideration before deciding to drop it and continue with talking to him. He sighed as he took a drink of his coffee.

Today was his day off, meaning he could relax, take a murder break, and be just Ryan Haywood for a day. Geoff always told him that when he took a murder break his eyes lost their insane look and he actually looked innocent for a change.

Add the fact that he was wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans, instead of his normal suit and kilt, he basically looked like a normal man and not like a super villain.

“So, the coffee good?” Ray asked, looking at the older man.

Blue eyes opened and looked at him before closing again when Ryan took another drink, “Coffee is always good.” He stated, “What about your hot chocolate?”

“My mom’s is better, but it’ll do.” Ray shrugged as he also drank. He kept stealing looks at the other man, still confused on how he should know him.

“I’m sorry, but you look really familiar. Have we met?” Ray asked finally.

“I asked myself the same thing. I’m pretty sure I would remember meeting you though. Maybe we’ve passed each other on the street and didn’t notice each other until today.” Ryan suggested.

“Hmm, maybe.” Ray said before looking out the window and wondering how Gavin was doing with Michael.

* * *

 

Michael was twitching fiercely as Gavin continued to run his mouth. He was so close to just ruining his cover and strangling the Brit, but he held it together. He finished off his fish taco and glared at Gavin.

“Gavin, shut the fuck up. Your voice is killing my brain cells.” Michael finally broke the Brit’s tirade of nonsense. He then looked at the hero, “So, why did you and Ray decide to become heroes?” He asked.

Gavin lit up brightly and smiled, “We wanted to help others. Save lives and protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. But most of all, we wanted to be able to be there for those in need.” He said with a grin.

Michael raised an eyebrow before he felt his phone buzz. He brought it out and read the text before growling under his breath. He sighed and stood from his seat, “Well it was _great_ to see you Gavin, but I have somewhere to be. Maybe I’ll see you again.” He said before leaving.

Gavin frowned slightly, “Bye Micool.” He shouted after the other man. Michael held up his hand in a wave. Unbeknownst to him, his hoodie sleeve fell down just enough for Gavin to see the white bandages wrapped around his arm.

The Brit cataloged the new bit of information and decided to forget it as he left the shop as well. He saw Ray walking towards him on the street with a cup of hot chocolate and raised an eyebrow.

“Where’d you go?” He asked.

Ray blushed slightly and tucked a piece of paper deeper into his pocket. A paper that had several numbers on it. “Coffee shop. How was lunch with your ‘boi’.” He asked, deflecting the situation away from himself.

“It was top.” Gavin said, ignoring the fact that he had talked the whole time, “But he had to go meet someone.” He ended with a pout.

“Dude, he’s probably got a life outside of a man he met only two days ago. Come on Gavin, you’ve basically been harassing the man.” Ray said with a raised eyebrow.

Gavin pouted, “But I really like him. He’s cool, and he didn’t care that we were super heroes.” He explained. “As soon as we saved the city, everyone only cared about us as heroes, no one asks if we want to hang out. Michael treats us as though we are normal people.” He said.

Ray looked at him for a moment before chuckling, “I knew you were messing up his name because of his reaction.”

Gavin blushed before yelling at Ray and chasing the Puerto Rican down the street with a red face. Said man was laughing the whole time.

* * *

 

Michael opened the door to his apartment and looked around before closing the door and taking his jacket off.

“Took you long enough.” A voice said from his right, causing the thief to jump in shock.

“Holy shit Jack, don’t fucking do that!” He shouted as he put a hand over his heart. “Warn a person before you scare the shit out of them.”

“I did, I texted you that I was in your apartment.” Jack said blankly.

Jack was a large man with an impressive beard. He was red headed and actually one of the kindest people you would ever meet. That is if you didn’t get on his bad side. Behind him stood two other people, one had a beard and the other was tall and skinny with untamable black hair.

Michael looked at the two before raising an eyebrow at Jack, “Who are they?” He asked.

Jack looked at them and motioned them forward, “They’re my assistants/prodigies. This is Adam Ellis,” He gestured to the bearded man, “And this is Joel Heyman.” That was the black hair man.

“Huh, cool. So Caleb said you wanted to upgrade my gauntlet?” He asked as he walked though his apartment, Jack and the other two following him.

“That’s right. I’ve already upgraded Kdin’s. Yours is going to take me a while though. Mostly because you actually do ‘field work’ with it. So no shenanigans until I finish improving it.” Jack ordered.

“Can’t cause any anyway. Caleb’s making me heal normally so that I would take a break.” He whined slightly, gesturing to his left shoulder.

“So what happened?” He asked as he looked at the arm piece.

“I got shot by one of the Mad King’s men, or it could have been one of the CoPirate’s.” Michael said with a shrug.

Jack looked up at him briefly, “Ryan and Geoff. That’s weird. I would have thought they would try to recruit you.” He said.

Michael chuckled darkly, “You know me Jack, I don’t play well with others.” He said with a scowl. “They were planning on using me to their advantage. I am many things Jack, but I am not someone’s god damn toy.” He growled.

“Calm down Michael. I wasn’t taking their side.” The older man placated as he took out some of his tools and started his work, “I have to ask though, how close were you to Rage Quit mode?” He asked.

“Pretty damn close. I think the only thing keeping me from it was the gauntlet. That and I got Caleb here in time.” Michael replied as his unwrapped his right arm.

The thief smiled slightly when he noticed the lacerations caused by the gauntlet had healed completely. That was one thing Caleb always forgot. Michael was able to heal anything, and that also included changes to the state of his ability.

So when Caleb had planned for him to be out for a few days, Michael could go out the next night. Michael grinned before he flexed his right arm and stretched the other.

“So how long should the upgrade take Jack?” He asked the Architect.

“A couple of hours. I have a few modifications to make.” The bearded man stated.

“Are you going to stay for a few days? Burnie plans to visit, and I know that he’d like to see you. And I guess you could always visit Ryan and Geoff.” Michael said the last two names with a growl.

Jack chuckled, “Yeah, I might. Someone needs to warn those two that they pissed off the wrong person.” He said before looking at the young thief.

Something was off about the way he was standing, like something was on his mind and he wanted it gone. But there was also a look in his eyes that said a complete different story. Jack smirked suddenly.

“So who kissed you?” He asked.

He got the reaction his wanted. Michael started blushing and stuttering, “No one! Why would you ask that Jack!”

Jack gave the younger man a pointed look, “Because I’ve known you long enough. And it’s obvious. So who was it?

Michael looked away and glared at the corner, “It was a fucking accident. Damn ladder.” He muttered angrily.

Jack chuckled and motioned for him to continue. Michael looked at him again and sighed, “It was one of the city’s heroes. Vav. I was going to attack him and tripped over a ladder and ended up sucking face on accident.”

“Really? Didn’t think you had it in you. A hero?” Jack asked.

Jack usually liked to remain out of the conflict between both villains and heroes, sure he was friends with mostly villains. He just liked building things and then making them better. But Michael was a friend, and even though it was hard for Michael to trust anyone, he was slightly happy that something had occurred.

“Shut the fuck up Jack. I said it was an accident, meaning it will never happen again.” Michael growled angrily.

“Sure it won’t, so who were you with before you came home? You’re never this hostile unless someone riles you up beforehand.” Jack asked.

He then noticed the dark look in Michael’s eyes and started to laugh, “Really? You were with the hero? Out of uniform?” The man continued to laugh before he heard a crack.

“ **Shut up**.” Michael said darkly, “He doesn’t know, and I can’t seem to get rid of him. He’s like a fucking penny, he keeps showing up.”

Jack nodded and dropped the subject. The apartment fell into a tense silence before Joel broke it. He and Adam had been talking quietly.

“Alright listen Adam.” He started, eliciting a groan from Jack.

“Not again.” The older bearded man grumbled.

* * *

 

Dark blue eyes blinked as he walked out from the airport and looked up. The owner took out his phone and scrolled down with a frown.

“Now were does this fucker live?” He muttered.

A name flashed on his phone as he pressed to open the file, ‘ **Michael Jones** ’. He quickly typed out a text and then put his phone away.

Across the city Michael was waving goodbye to Jack, Joel and Adam when his phone buzzed. He opened it and paled.

_Burnie Burns: Sup? I’m in town. I’ll be at you apartment within the hour. If you run I will find you and you’ll go through Stage 2 again. See you soon._

Michael groaned and put the phone away. “Great. This day just keeps getting better and better.”


	5. A Blast to the Past

( **10 years earlier** )

Hazel eyes glared as the scientists informed them that _Subject 11_ had died. He clenched his fists and looked at the others. The younger girls were crying while _Subject 7_ hugged them close to her and glared as well. Subject 7 or as they knew her, Ashley, was protective of the younger ones.

She was the oldest there and took big sister role over most of them. Subject 10 and Subject 9 were a year younger than her. He kept his distance from almost all of them, because the last kid he got close to died during their third session.

He had a select group of guys he stayed around, more like a protector than friend. Subjects 21, 15, 16, and 12. 21, 15, and 16 who they knew as Kerry, Matt and Jeremy had all been through their third session. 12, named Kdin hadn’t returned from his session yesterday, but the scientists assured them that he was just recovering. But here at Artificial Splicer Labs, anything could happen.

Today was his session, Subject 13. He was the most volatile of the children, therefore the scientists waited until everyone else had completed their third session to even get him started on the session. Subject 13, otherwise known as Michael to the others, hated it here.

It was too white and always smelled like bleach. He had been here for five years. The only ones who had been here longer had been Ashley, Caleb and Ryan. Ryan was weird though. He was always calm when the scientists told them bad news. It wasn’t that he didn’t care, it was just he didn’t want people to know his feelings.

Or at least that’s how he was, after his third session he came back with a few screws loose. Michael found out he had been injected with the 00-Sigma Serum when all the others had either been injected with 24-B and 23-A Serums. Michael had noticed that those injected with the different serums developed what the scientists called ‘gifts’. The kids though, they just called them powers.

One of the older scientists came into the room and moved towards Michael, “Subject 13, it’s time for your session.” The man stated.

If he expected Michael to do anything, he was mistaken, because Michael didn’t move from his spot. The scientist looked annoyed and repeated what he had said.

“That’s not my name.” Michael growled.

“What was that 13?” The man asked.

“I said, that isn’t my name fucktards!” Michael shouted at the white wearing man.

The man glared at him and grabbed his arm, “Let me go you fuck!” He yelled as he struggled in the man’s grip.

“Be quiet Subject 13. You need to learn a little obedience.” The man stated as he dragged him form the room.

Before he was out completely Michael spotted Caleb and his group of boys starring after him in fear. He also caught the blue eyes of Ryan. Ryan gave him a frown before nodding. Little did he know, that would be the last he saw of Ryan for years, and even then he wouldn’t remember him.

Michael was dragged past the infirmary, and he noticed Kdin strapped into a bed in the far corner. He at least looked like he wasn’t in any pain, but Michael couldn’t be certain. He could tell something was wrong with the other boy.

Michael then noticed the looks the scientists were giving him. ‘ _Why does it look like they all expect me to die?_ ’ He thought before he was dragged into a circular room. He saw a weird machine by the back side of the room. It had two tubes connected to it.

He was picked up and quickly strapped down to a table. He growled and struggled against the restraints before one of the bigger men grabbed his arm and injected him with a sedative. His movements grew sluggish before stopping as a sleepy look came over his face.

“So is Serum 00-Omega ready?” The lead scientist asked.

“00-Omega? But sir we only tested 00-Delta yesterday. And we are still pending results, as the boy has not woken up from the strain.” One of the others replied with a bewildered look on his face.

A scientist near the door stiffened slightly, blue eyes narrowing as he listened. A black mustache twitched as he fought a scowl away from his face.

“Quiet, 00-Omega is just a stable mixture between Serum 00-Delta and 00-Sigma, it has been tested on non-human recipients and they have all survived with little to no signs of trauma.” The head stated, glaring at the one who would dare question him.

“Yes sir.” The other man stated before moving to begin the procedure.

At first Michael didn’t feel anything, then his world started to burn. It immediately drained away the sedative and the young teen started to scream and struggle against the restraints. Tears poured down his face as the Serum started to attach to his DNA.

He felt like he was being torn apart and pieced back together. His throat was raw from screaming. He couldn’t hear the scientists anymore, but honestly he didn’t care.

Then everything stopped. The pain, his screaming and the injection. Everything felt cold. He barely felt it when the scientists unrestrained him and placed him in one of the tubes in the room. He didn’t notice the abnormal sized animal in the other tube. He looked up slightly at the scientists before finally passing out from his frayed nerves.

The lead scientist looked down on the young teen with a dark look. He then turned towards his team, “Start the process.” They nodded, but he didn’t noticed the mustached man leave the room quickly.

* * *

 

The mustached man rushed from the room and looked around before taking out his phone. He pressed call and brought it to his ear.

“We need to do this now.” He drew in a shaky breath, “Church, they’re experimenting on kids here!” He said.

“Calm down Geoff! We’re almost there. What’s the status of our contact?” Church asked.

Geoff looked through the window at the group of teens and preteens. He spotted the oldest male in the room. The dirty blonde spotted him quickly and smirked in his direction.

“He seems to know that we’re here. But I’m worried about the kid they just experimented on. He didn’t look good.” Geoff stated.

“Hold on.” He heard a crash from the phone and in the building, “Right, we’re here. Plan G Geoff. Blow shit up and start getting the kids out of here.” Church said before cutting connection.

“Aye.” Geoff grinned before pulling out sticky bombs. He placed two on the door and met the contact’s eyes. He nodded and started to talk to the other children. They looked frightened but quickly stood away from the door.

Geoff ducked around the corner and detonated the charges. He then rushed to the gaping hole and looked in at the kids.

“Everyone ok?” When he got confirmation he smiled, “Alright, in a few seconds another man is going to be here. HE’s larger than me and has a red beard. His name is Jack, he’ll lead you out of here.” He said before turning to leave the room.

“I’m coming with you.” The contact stated with crazed blue eyes.

Geoff looked at him for a second and then nodded, “Right, the others stay here until Jack gets here. Ignore any sounds you hear.”

The kids nodded and his contact followed him out of the room. Geoff looked at the teen. “So what’s your name?”

“Ryan Haywood. But you can call me the Mad King.” He said with a crazed grin.

Geoff chuckled as he ran through the halls.

“Stop here! Kdin is in the infirmary. He’s been there since yesterday morning, get him before we get to Michael.” Ryan shouted. Geoff nodded and ducked into the room.

Lying on a white bed was a dark haired male. He was pale and had a mix-match of black scales crisscrossing his body. There were also two small black horns sticking out next to his head.

Ryan took one look at him and scowled, “I guess they completed their machine.” He said.

“What machine?” Geoff asked as he unattached Kdin from the monitors.

“It’s a DNA splicing machine. Meaning they can basically splice together two different specimens. They seem to have spliced him with one of the living artifacts they discovered in the middle of the Amazon. The other they spoke about using with Michael.” Ryan stated angrily.

“The kid they were working on?” Geoff asked as he picked Kdin up in a carrying position.

“Yeah, we need to get to him before they start. If what I heard about the 00-Omega Serum, they don’t know how it will react with the artifact they want to splice him with.” Ryan said as he led Geoff out of the room in a sprint.

It was then that they heard a loud roar and a shout form an unknown male.

“Shit.” They both said before running towards the commotion.

* * *

 

Back in the lab the lead scientist grinned widely as he looked at his success, “It worked!” He crowed, “They all told me it wouldn’t but it does! This will change everything.”

He was stopped by a growl in the tube. He turned to see the previously unconscious teen glaring at him with glowing yellow eyes. The yellow completely overran the whites of his eyes and sparked out of them.

The man watched in horror as the boy threw back his head and roared, causing the glass to shatter and fall to the ground around him. He shuffled back in fear as Subject 13 prowled towards him. The other scientists tried to stop him but 13 batted them away like they were flies.

He then blinked and 13 was in front of him, growling deeply. Then he saw nothing but black as his throat was torn out.

Michael was left in the middle of the room, not being able to control his own actions as he raged. His teeth were bared, showcasing enlarged canine and his brown-red hair curled even more uncontrollably as it stuck up haphazardly.

The door opened and Michael snapped his head towards the sound and growled. When two unknown men walked in Michael prepared himself to attack.

“This is where the kid is?” One asked the other.

“Yes, this is where the kid Geoff told us about is. Where else could he be, the moon?” The other asked sarcastically.

Both men had blue yes but one had dark hair and the other had light colored hair. The dark haired man was wielding a sniper rifle and a pair of pistols. The other man was carrying a shotgun and a pistol. They both spotted him and the destruction around him.

“Hey kid, you alright?” The dark haired man asked. All he got was a growl in return, “Calm down, we’re here to rescue you. I’m Church and this is Rooster.” Church said gesturing to himself and the other man.

Michael said nothing but growled dangerously before moving towards them with a dark purpose. Church cursed and backed up while Rooster got ready to defend.

Michael then let out another roar and rushed towards Rooster, who shouted back at him. Michael tackled the older man to the floor and raised a hand, wickedly sharp claws growing from the nail beds and brought it down on Rooster.

Church grabbed a syringe labeled sedative and quickly dosed the angry teen. Once the sedative was in his system, Michael’s growls stopped and the yellow glow in his eyes disappeared, leaving hazel eyes to glaze over sleepily.

“Holy shit Burnie! What did you do to him?” Rooster asked as he picked the boy up.

“I sedated him Matt, what the fuck did you expect me to do? Let him kill you? Now come on, we need to get out of here before the feds come.” Burnie said.

They were about to leave the room when Geoff and an older teenager ran into the room in a panic. “What happened?” Geoff asked.

“I’ll tell you later, right now we need to get out and get the kids away from here.” Burnie said and Geoff nodded.

They managed to get out of the facility and to the safe house without any tails or problems. Michael and Kdin were still unconscious, but the other teens were fine and awake.

The four that had saved them weren’t that much older than Ashley, who was the oldest of all of them. Geoff was 23, Burnie was 22, Matt was 23, and Jack was 21. Somehow Ryan had gotten a SOS out in order to get them all saved. None of the others were sure exactly how he was able to manage it but they were free, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

* * *

 

“So this is where we all go separate ways again?” Matt asked. The four adults were together in the kitchen.

“It won’t be forever Matt. We always somehow get back together for something. Kinda like this brought us all back together as a team.” Jack said.

“What do we do about the kids?” Geoff asked.

“Well, Ryan has expressed an idea that we split them up amongst ourselves and raise them the best we can.” Burnie said with a frown.

“So we can either split the 12 of them up equally or ask who they want to go with.” Matt stated, crossing his arms.

“So we’ll ask them.” Geoff said, standing.

They went back into the room with the kids and stood next to each other. They looked at each other and noticed Kdin and Michael were awake and far away from the others.

“So we decided to give you guys a choice,” Geoff started.

“We are willing to take you in, but you’ll have to be separated because none of us actually live near each other.” Matt explained.

“So if you want to, you can pick which one of us you want to go with.” Jack finished.

Burnie nodded, but kept his eyes on the two keeping their distance. Jon, Meg, Arryn and Kara went up to Jack, the one they had been rescued by. Ashley walked determinedly over to Burnie and stood in front of him, Matt and Jeremy followed her to him. Caleb and Kerry made their way over to Matt and finally Ryan stood next to Geoff with a smirk.

The last two looked at each other and then at the four adults. They seemed to communicate silently before they both nodded and went to stand near the collection around Burnie.

Burnie sighed, somehow he knew most of them would migrate towards him.

“Ok. But you all have to realize. Training is not going to be easy.” Burnie told the five in front of him.

They all exchanged a grin and in unison said, “Bring it on.”


End file.
